January 19, 2025
Vegan Cookie Bars!
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Deliciously easy vegan cookie bars with a chocolate base, chocolate chunks and a sprinkle of sea salt – perfection
As it is January, I thought it was high time I posted another vegan recipe, and these beauties are a 10/10. They’re super simple to make, and based on my super popular vegan cookie recipe. I adore them anyway, but they’re chocolatey, with an extra (optional…) sprinkle of sea salt on top.
Vegan bakes
I will admit that I haven’t posted too many vegan recipes in my time, but that is purely for the fact that I myself am not vegan. I just forget, and then it gets delayed and I know that is not fair, because vegan bakes are delicious.
I have posted a delicious vegan biscoff cake, vegan vanilla cupcakes, vegan brownies and even a vegan vanilla cheesecake and they are always popular for those of you who need or want to make something vegan. Alot of the time with most bakes it can be simple swaps to make a recipe vegan, especially with a cookie based bake.
Vegan cookies
My vegan cookie recipe has been super popular since I posted it, and thats because I tried to make the recipe and end result as similar to my other cookie recipes as I could. I wanted to simplify the recipe, as I do think sometimes alternatives for free-from can be over complicated with the ingredients you need to buy.
My vegan chocolate chip cookies are similar in their nature to the recipes for my nyc chocolate chip cookies, and even my white chocolate and raspberry cookies because as I always say, once you find a method that works, why change it?!
Ingredient swaps
The main swaps for me when it comes to a basic cookie like this, is the butter, the egg, the cocoa powder, and the chocolate chips. The other ingredients should naturally be vegan (the flour, the sugar, the raising agents), but obviously it’s worth double checking. I tend to try and make sure my store cupboard ingredients can suit as many diets as possible for ease
I use a vegan butter in place of a dairy butter (I like the flora plant block the most at the time of posting), the cocoa powder I buy is naturally vegan as I use a strong chocolatey one at 100%. The chocolate chips are easier to find these days, as vegan chocolate is becoming more and more popular, and I am not mad about it. I use the galaxy vegan chocolate, and the nomo chocolate.
The egg is the part that I guess is the most crucial to swap out as you want the same texture and flavour for the cookie dough and baked cookie, that an egg would normally bring. I find swapping the egg for a vegan milk (I use almond, but oat is also good) works best for the baking process, and end result.
Cookie dough
Similar to most of my recipes, this cookie dough is delicious:
- Butter – As mentioned above, I use the flora plant block at the moment for a vegan butter as I find it the most solid
- Sugar – I like using light brown soft sugar because the flavour is delicious in cookies
- Flavour – I always add a little vanilla to my bakes but this is optional
- Flour – plain flour is important as you don’t want the raising agent added in from self raising
- Chocolate – make sure the cocoa powder and the chocolate chips/chunks you mix through are vegan
- Raising agents – I always add a little bicarbonate of soda for cookies for the best texture
- Salt – I use sea salt because it’s delicious, but it is optional for inside and once baked
- Milk – as mentioned I prefer to use almond milk in baking, but oat milk or soya work well.
Changing things up – free-from swaps
The wonderful thing about a recipe like this, is that you can also convert it back to not being vegan, or you can make it purely dairy free, or even just egg free.
- The recipe can also be gluten free, with a simple switch to gluten free plain flour, 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum if the flour doesn’t already contain it (Making sure that all other ingredients are also gluten free (the cocoa powder)).
- If you want to make these dairy free but you can still eat egg, use one medium egg in place of the dairy free milk.
- If you want to make these egg free, use dairy butter and full-fat milk in place of the dairy free milk. You can then also use any cocoa powder or chocolate chips
Tips & Tricks
- These vegan cookie bars will last for 4-5+ days easily once baked, at room temperature
- You can freeze the cookie bars for 3+ months
- You can make them not chocolate based by removing the cocoa powder and using 300g plain flour in total
- I used a mixture of galaxy vegan choc, nomo choc, and supermarket own free-from chocolate
- I used this 9″ square tin in this recipe
Vegan Cookie Bars!
Ingredients
- 125 g vegan unsalted butter
- 175 g light brown soft sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g plain flour
- 35 g cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus extra for top)
- 300 g vegan chocolate chips/chunks
- 75 g vegan milk (I used almond)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc/160ºc fan and line a 9x9” square tin with parchment paper
- Add the vegan butter, sugar and vanilla to a bowl and beat until creamy
- Add in the plain flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt and beat until combined.
- Gradually add in the vegan milk until the cookie dough is formed.
- Add in the vegan chocolate and mix until distributed well
- Tip the cookie dough into the lined tin, and press down evenly
- Bake the cookie bars in the oven for 20-22 minutes. Once baked, leave them to cool in the tin
Notes
- These vegan cookie bars will last for 4-5+ days easily once baked, at room temperature
- You can freeze the cookie bars for 3+ months
- You can make them not chocolate based by removing the cocoa powder and using 300g plain flour in total
- I used a mixture of galaxy vegan choc, nomo choc, and supermarket own free-from chocolate
- I used this 9" square tin in this recipe
ENJOY!
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